Did you know that the rose has been the official flower of the Kentucky Derby since 1904? And in 1925 the president of Churchill Downs dubbed the Kentucky Derby the “Run for the Roses.”
Each year the winning horse is draped in a garland made from more than 400 red roses. The winning jockey is presented with a bouquet of 60 long stem red roses!
The Derby is truly steeped in tradition. If you are planning to have a few friends over to celebrate the Kentucky Derby here are some easy ways to include a few Derby traditions into your party.
The Infield
“The Infield” is the flat grassy area inside of the track where one of the biggest parties is held each year! Think Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras and you have a pretty good idea of how crazy this party gets. Set the mood with your own replica of the infield.
Start with a flat of wheat grass. Cover the bottom of the tray with moss and insert red roses that have been cut short directly into the base of the wheat grass. It’s that easy to create this fabulous Kentucky Derby Infield centerpiece!
Mint Julep
Another Derby tradition dating back almost a century is the very southern Mint Julep cocktail. It is a mix of crushed ice, sugar, water, fresh mint, and bourbon. The traditional silver julep cup also makes a great vase for a petite bouquet. 1-800 Flowers.com has a few to choose from including Julep Treasures Petite Bouquet™.
For this arrangement I used 6 short stem red roses, a few stems of fresh waxflower, and a few sprigs of fresh spearmint. These small, festive bouquets can be placed throughout your party to really set the mood. Put one on the bar, another in the bathroom, and a few on the buffet table, and you’ll be all set to place your bets!!
There are a few themes that you will see weaving throughout my latest posts – what’s trending now, everything old is new again, my recent vacation in California, and California grown flowers.
Here’s one that covers them all – The Moscow Mule. A drink that was first created back in the 1940’s. Legend has it that it was first created in the Cock ‘n’ Bull bar located on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. As with any legendary story there are a few slightly different versions, but to sum it up – vodka was just being introduced to the U.S. market and the salesman was struggling. He stopped in to see his bartender friend at the Cock ‘n’ Bull who was frustrated by his efforts to sell his homemade ginger beer. Get where we’re going here? The two beverages were mixed together with a little lime and a new drink was born! To market the new drink, the two turned to a friend with a copper factory who happened to have too many copper mugs in inventory and they engraved the mugs with the names of famous celebrities who frequented the Cock ‘n’ Bull. It didn’t take long for word to spread and everyone wanted to drink what the celebrities were drinking! Sound familiar? Everything old is new again!!
I had my first Moscow Mule at my sister’s suggestion who just had her first in Austin, Texas, at Clint Eastwood’s Mission Ranch in Carmel, California. Perfection – the setting, the company, and the drink! Needless to say I had one in every town we stopped in along the coast on our way down to San Diego. I am personally responsible for the growing popularity since I’ve been back in New York. Just working on this post created quite a few fans.
Where did you have your first Moscow Mule?
Moscow Mule Drink Recipe: Mix It Up!
The Moscow Mule is very simple to make! Drink Ingredients:
* Copper Mug
* Vodka
* Ginger Beer
* Limes
* Ice
* Mint Leaves
How to Mix It Up: Step 1. Fill your mug with ice. Step 2. Add 2 oz. of vodka. Step 3. Fill the rest of the mugs with ginger beer. Step 4. Squeeze the lime wedge in to the drink before adding it to the drink. Step 5. Garnish with mint. Step 6. Enjoy!
Flower Inspiration from the Moscow Mule’s Copper Mug
Of course I see the copper mug as a perfect vessel for flowers or a plant. Here are a few photos to inspire you to create beauty in your life everyday.
Coffee break roses, sprigs of bittersweet, and liquid amber.
Peony – Red Kansas – imported from Chile. Simply beautiful. Limited availability and expensive but I couldn’t resist.
I love succulents. They look good anywhere and are so easy to care for whether as a potted plant or as a cut flower.
Nothing breaks up the monotony of a long, cold winter like a fun and unexpected “theme” party! When the temperature outside is dropping, why not turn up the heat inside and invite your friends to spend a few hours on the island of Bali Hai. There are so many easy ways to set the mood — from the décor, to the food, and of course, the music!
Hawaiian luau décor
Transport your guests to the tropics with bamboo (placemats, shades used as wall panels, platters), tropical/island themed fabric (I prefer swatches of vintage fabrics), tropical scented candles, large tropical leaves like monstera and cordyline, and of course, orchids.
Orchids are a natural and easy way to add the beauty of the islands and can be used in so many different ways. Here a few of my favorite ideas, using orchid varieties that are available right now from 1-800-Flowers!
Greet guests with Hawaiian leis
In the beautiful islands of Hawaii, everyone wears floral leis. They are a symbol of love, friendship, celebration, honor and as a way to say “Aloha!” You can make the leis in advance and greet each guest with a warm and special welcome. Or set up a “lei-making station” and let your guests enjoy making their own during the festivities. In Hawaii, people often include shells, feathers, leaves, seeds and nuts in their leis.
How to make a lei in 6 easy steps
Materials needed:
Stem of full blooming flowers
Scissors
Needle
Monofilament fishing string
Instructions
With craft or household scissors, cut the monofilament or fishing line to the length you want your lei to be, adding 6 inches so that you can tie the ends off to create the lei.
Thread the needle with the cut fishing line. Tie a knot about 3 inches from one end of the fishing line to establish a “stopper” at the starting point of your lei.
With the florist’s scissors, cut a bloom from an orchid stem. Insert the needle through the base of the bloom and gently pull it along the fishing line to the starter knot.
Repeat the process for all the blooms, lining them up one with the other so that they rest inside each other with their anthers facing the same direction.
When the lei reaches the desired length, tie off the ends of the fishing line in a knot and snip off the excess.
Place the lei around the neck of your special someone and say “Aloha!”
Decorating a luau with cymbidium orchids
You can do so much with a single stem of cymbidium orchids. A single stem has between 8 and 10 blooms. Each individual flower can be used on its own to decorate a place setting, adorn a cocktail glass or gathered together around a pillar candle to create a truly original arrangement. Here are a few examples for inspiration:
Hawaiian luau cocktails & refreshments
There are lots of tropical-themed cocktails that are perfect for a luau, like a Blue Hawaiian, Bay Breeze, Mai Tai, Pina Colada or Bahama Mama. You can also mix up your own concoction—just serve it in a tall Zombie style glass decorated like the one above and you can’t go wrong!
Hawaiian luau music
Create your own Hawaiian luau music playlist and be sure to include a few of these songs:
Don Ho – “Tiny Bubbles”
Elvis – “Blue Hawaii”
Trio Kailua – “My Little Grass Shack”
Israel Kamakawiwo’ole – “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”
The Soundtrack from the Broadway play South Pacific
Jack Johnson – “Anything”
When your guests are leaving at the end of your fabulous party be sure to thank them for celebrating with you by saying: “Mahalo nui loa na ho’olaule’a me la kaua!” (Thanks for celebrating with us!)
Why purchase a centerpiece when you can create your own dramatic candle centerpiece? This is a fabulous look for any special occasion during the winter and creating the dramatic effect of fire and ice couldn’t be easier.
Here’s what you need:
Double sided tape and/or spray adhesive
Glass votive candleholders
Plain clear glass beverage glasses
Container of stardust glitter
For the raised candle centerpiece, first I sprayed the outside of the votive holders with spray adhesive and then dusted them with stardust glitter. After I sprinkled faux snow on the glass top of a pastry stand and placed the candles in a line down the middle of the stand. For a little more sparkle weave a strand of crystals around the candles. The flickering light of the candles reflects in the crystals – the look is stunning. It’s so simple, yet so elegant.
Create coordinating vases by placing a band of double-sided tape around a beverage glass and sprinkle the tape with the glitter. Drop a few stems of white tulips in the glass and you’re good to go! Place several of these beautiful vases around the dining or buffet table for maximum impact. When the party is over and you need drinking glasses, simply remove the tape and they’re as good as new!
Sophisticated Soiree
For a look that is clean, elegant and sophisticated, use a single variety white flower such as the tulip, a lot of sparkling clear glass vases and candle holders, and add a couple of chandelier crystals. The result is breathtaking. This is a perfect look for celebrating the start of a brand new year with all its limitless possibilities.
A Meaningful Memento
Since ancient times, evergreens have been a symbol of life, rebirth, and the stamina needed to endure the winter months. Use sprigs of evergreens tied with silver ribbon and a sparkle monogram to create a place card with a message.
Wishing you good health and peace in the New Year – remember that every day is a gift to be cherished!
I was recently asked by a New York bride and groom to incorporate apples into the place card display at their Manhattan reception. They had many guests coming in from out of town and wanted to visually welcome them to the Big Apple.
You can easily make delicious apple centerpieces for any occasion! I filled varying size glass cylinders with small lady apples and used large deep red apples as votive candleholders. The look was clean, modern and had that person touch they were looking to include in their special day!
Not too long ago, I was asked to put together an elegant wine tasting event. It was such a treat to design a party with the sole purpose of saying “Thank You” to some of our local 1-800-FLOWERS customers!
I quickly got to work, planning and designing. The results, I must say, were spectacular! The theme naturally took on the feeling of a relaxing, sunny afternoon in Napa Valley. Needless to say I was very happy that I was asked to host a wine tasting party. Even on short notice, I was able to collect a number of unique pieces that could be repurposed to fit the theme perfectly. Most of the items used throughout the space were pieces I had collected on vacation, received as gifts, or picked up at yard sales.
Many of the materials, like the soda crate and barrel, came from flea markets that I love to frequent throughout New England!
In addition to the props and fabrics, food was also used to tie in color and theme. Grapes, for example, made a great accent to the room décor by incorporating them into an arrangement.
To enhance the vineyard feeling of the evening, I used wine corks as filler in the bottom of a clear vase. Simple, elegant and eco-friendly!
One of my favorite elements of the evening were the “wine corsages” that were created as decorative accents to some of our favorite bottles of wine.
Along the same lines, ceramic baskets were used instead of ice buckets to chill the white wines. Flowers, like roses, carnations and hydrangeas, were arranged to decorate the wine baskets and make them more appealing.
The more fun you have with putting all the elements together, the better it will turn out. I had so much fun putting all the pieces together — I even hired a musician to play for the duration of the party to add warmth and ambiance to the room! Sometimes it’s the smallest detail that completes a party.
A Super Bowl party is not the time to fuss too much with decorations – food, drinks, and of course the game will take precedent for this occasion. However it’s still a theme party and what’s a theme party without themed decorations! Just keep it simple and make it fun. I decided that in honor of the sport I would use only white “football” mums. White flowers will work with all color schemes, whether you decide to go with the official navy blue and bittersweet orange colors of Super Bowl XLIV or your favorite team colors. Game Day Parties has a great selection of Super Bowl XLIV paper goods, as well as, solid blue and orange so you can mix and match. These Super Bowl party ideas
DECORATIONS
Bloomin’ Football Koozie
These fun little arrangements are so inexpensive and you can put them all around the house, on the buffet, even in the bathroom. The container is an actual can or bottle koozie that I found. I lined the koozie with the bottom half of a disposable water bottle. You can even give one to each guest at the end of the party as a parting gift!
Beer Mug Arrangement
Can you believe that this mug of beer is actually an innovative fresh flower arrangement? You can find this Beer Mug of Blooms at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM. It would be a great, unexpected gift to send to a friend that you are unable to be with on Super Bowl Sunday. Let them know that you are together in spirit!
Did you notice the arrangement in the background using the referee bottle koozie? Fun, simple, inexpensive, and easy – that’s the way I like it!
Super Bowl XLIV Centerpieces
I love the graphics and the colors for this year’s Super Bowl. To create these themed vases, I scanned the image on the napkins that I ordered from Game Day Parties and sized the image accordingly for the glass cubes. For the smaller version with the single football mum, I used double-sided tape and attached the image to the four sides of the cube. With the larger version I had a smaller cube inside the larger one and placed the super bowl image on each side between the two vases.
Superbowl Food
I am trying not to think too much about all of the Super Bowl type food right now. I am trying to eat healthy and in moderation (of course I am – it is still January), but I still love all of the chili cheese dogs, hot wings, nacho type of food that is standard Super Bowl style grub. What I plan to do is make a few of my favorite dishes healthier. For example a quick, easy, and delish dip is:
Chili Cheese Dip
Ingredients:
1 – package of cream cheese softened
1 – can chili
1 – 8 oz. cheddar cheese
Directions:
Spread the cream cheese around the bottom of a baking dish
Top with the chili.
Cover with shredded cheddar cheese.
Microwave for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted
Serve with tortilla chips.
This year I am going to use fat free cream cheese and cheddar cheese, salsa in place of the chili, and baked pita or tortilla chips. There are so many sources for making your traditional Super Bowl food healthier. Websites like Weight Watchers and Hungry Girl, as well as, new books from Bethenny Frankel and Rocco Dispirito are a few to check out.
Football Cake
For a dessert that is as much fun to look at as it is to eat, make a football cake using a football cake pan. To display the cake, I used a Clementine crate. The ends of the crate reminded me of goal posts. I reshaped the scanned image of the Super Bowl XLIV napkins and scaled it to fit the sides of the crate. You can fill the crate with wheat grass or green paper shreds to mimic the football field. And if you wanted to continue with the lower calorie versions of your favorite recipes, you can try a diet soda cake recipe. I’ve never actually tried it myself, but I have heard that it is quite good!
Additional Super Bowl Party Tips:
Play CD’s from The Who to get everyone psyched up for the group’s performance during the half time show.
Order yourself something football themed, yet feminine to wear to the party. The NFL Shop has a nice selection of clothing, including a few hot items from Touch by Alyssa Milano. You could encourage your friends to order something for themselves and put on your own half-time fashion show!
Inspired by the ancient tradition of featuring a different floral arrangement in front of a home to identify the family and profession of the resident, I created these one of a kind designs. These are the kind of arrangements that I really like to create as gifts. They are so personal and take more thought then anything else. Give a personalized wreath to someone special, they are gifts from the heart.
Personalized Wreath Examples
If your special person enjoys sewing, gather a few sewing supplies, some small roses, and a sewing kit basket with a long handle to hang in front of a door. Arrange all your materials in the basket and surround it with flowers. This is a lovely arrangement to hang on any door.
If your special somoeone enjoys photography, check out this creative wreath. This personalized wreath has nicely decorated flowers sitting ontop of an antique camera.
For the crafty person in you life, simply stuff a tool holder with flowers and ornaments.
For a sweet, spring looking wreath, decorate your wreath with pink roses and small pots. If your special person enjoys knitting, simply find some yarn and a needle and fashion it into a bow on your wreath.
Using icons from the decade in which the guest of honor was born, makes decorating fun and easy. Whether it’s the 50’s, 80’s, or 90’s, each decade has its own unique style and vibe. You can also mix it up and highlight the best of each decade throughout the life of the birthday celebrant. Here are some general ideas and guidelines to help get you started.
Make themed invitations and ask people to come in costume.
Pay attention to detail. Your food, decorations, and music should relate to the decade.
Not all of your guests will have necessarily been around during the decade you choose, so designate someone who will be able to demonstrate the dance moves of that decade.
Have a trivia contest.
The Internet makes this type of party planning so easy. All of your research is just a click away. Search the most popular fads from each decade and decide how you can incorporate them into your party. For example, for an 80’s themed party an oversized Rubik’s cube makes a great container for a centerpiece. For this one, I started with a square glass vase filled with floral foam. I downloaded an image of a Rubik’s cube, sized it accordingly, printed out four sheets for each cube, covered them with clear contact paper (to make them water proof), and glued them to the square vase.
Working with the bright primary colors of the Rubik’s cube, I chose gerberas, delphinium, button poms, roses, and soliadgo to create the fun floral arrangement. The tablecloth is a solid royal blue with crisscrossed ribbons of green, red, blue, yellow and white to further play up the geometric look. The overall look is festive, fun, and totally 80’s!!
